


Feast for One

by idiosyncraticWordsmith (literaryAspirant)



Series: Paradox-9 [4]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Burden of Light, Gen, Prompt: Feast, Slice of Life, Warlock Enjoying Books, self-care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 22:43:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20881877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryAspirant/pseuds/idiosyncraticWordsmith
Summary: Paradox-9 tries to relax after a long time out on the field, though his Ghost, Lexicon, is a bit too concerned about him. Guardian slice of life. Characters from Burden of Light.





	Feast for One

“You have an incoming call,” Lexicon reported.

“Tell them I’m busy,” Paradox said.

“It’s Ikora,” Lexicon explained.

“Tell her I’m busy,” Paradox repeated.

“You can’t keep telling everyone you’re busy,” Lexicon told him. As usual, it wasn’t any judgment or warning, just a neutral observation. More like a reminder than anything else.

Paradox sat in casual wear surrounded by data pads. It was theoretically possible to have Lexicon wirelessly transfer all of the contents into one, but he liked to emphasize how much he was going through. A single pad seemed so tiny, so small, insignificant to hold all the information he was combing through. It would be like trying to condense an entire feast onto a single plate. It can, in fact, be done, but why would you do it? It goes against the very concept of it.

“You’ve turned away calls from your fireteam, from Researcher Redblood, and now from a Vanguard member,” Lexicon noted. “I am becoming concerned for your health.”

“Don’t be,” Paradox assured. “I’m fine. In fact I’m more than fine.”

“Your tendency towards isolation and the repercussions of that tendency speak for themselves,” Lexicon reminded. “The fact that you are engaging in what is obviously self-isolationism gives inductive reason to be concerned.”

“Lex,” Paradox sighed, not looking away from his datapad, “I haven’t read in weeks.”

“You have been preoccupied with field work,” Lexicon replied.

“Exactly,” Paradox nodded. “Would you mind reciting the statistics from that field work?”

“Four-hundred and twenty-two dead Dregs,” Lexicon started, “two hundred and seventy Vandals, eighteen Captains, fifty-three Knights, twenty-one Wizards, nine-hundred and sixty-six Thrall, three-hundred and nine Acolytes, two-hundred fifteen Goblins, one-hundred nineteen Hobgoblins, thirty-nine Minotaurs, twelve Hydras, over three planets and twenty days, with an average time-to-kill per capita of approximately seven seconds each.”

“Exactly,” Paradox said, tossing the datapad aside to pick up another one with a fresh set of information, this one focused on ship mechanics recommended by Holliday. “I have killed a lot of things over a long time and in a very efficient way the entire time. I haven’t been in the City all month. I have had a constant feed coming from either Zavala, or Cayde, or Ikora, or Kirran and Antonia, or someone.”

“This is not atypical for Guardians,” Lexicon observed. “Antonia spent years on end in the wilderness on patrol.”

“Yeah, she’s Antonia,” Paradox countered. “That’s relaxing for her. It would be for me, but I’m not allowed to do field work alone anymore, so I have to get my quiet time another way.”

“You are not officially banned from solo field work,” Lexicon countered.

“Sure,” Paradox sighed, “but if I went out alone there’d be a lot of people checking on me. That’s the opposite of what I’m trying to accomplish right now.”

“I see,” Lexicon said. “You are performing a restful action in isolation.”

“Yes,” Paradox nodded, trying still to focus.

“And so you are engaging in recreational reading to achieve a productive but isolated state while remaining mentally sound,” Lexicon rattled off.

“And it would help if you stopped interrupting that state,” Paradox said simply.

“I see,” Lexicon said.

It was the last thing the Ghost said before dematerializing. Paradox smiled gently. He appreciated it when people gave him his space as he needed it. He sunk deep into his chair and sighed happily, soaking in knowledge, an entire feast of it, just for him and only him, with nobody to explain it or himself to.

He could feel his artificial muscles relaxing already.


End file.
